There's More Than One Way To Bake Oysters

Food Bites

July 30, 2003|By PATRICIA EPPS Daily Press

A reader requested recipes for baked oysters and cocktail sauce that was once prepared in the 1980s by Joan McCormick on the Public Access Channel in York County. I was unable to find those recipes. However, here are a couple of versions to try. If there are any readers with the recipes by McCormick, please let me know.

BAKED GARLIC OYSTERS

Garlic Oil:

1 cup olive oil

5 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped onions

16 shucked oysters

In a small bowl, mix garlic oil ingredients. Allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place oysters on half shell on baking pan. Place 1/4 teaspoon garlic oil on each oyster. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Top each oyster with 1 teaspoon garlic oil.

Return to the oven for eight minutes. Spoon the remaining garlic oil over oysters.

Serves 4.

From "Oysters" by John DeMers and Andrew Jaeger, CelestialArts, 1999)

BAKED OYSTERS OLD-FASHIONED STYLE

1 dozen oysters, on the half shell

1/2 teaspoon paprika

3 slices bacon, each cut into 12 pieces

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces

Parsley, lemon wedges for garnish

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place oysters on half shell on baking sheet. Sprinkle oysters with paprika. Top each with 3 pieces of bacon and butter.

Bake until tender, about 10 minutes. Heat broiler; broil until bacon is crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to serving platter or individual plates; garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

Serves 2.

Reprinted from Chicago Tribune, July 16, 1997

COCKTAIL SAUCE

1 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon horseradish

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Pinch of chili powder

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.

Makes 1 cup.

From "Oysters" by John DeMers and Andrew Jaeger, (CelestialArts, 1999)